There are dirt roads. And then there are dirt roads that would make for a perfect motocross course. The latter took us to Setapoung Village.

Nestled in the backcountry of Lao’s Bolaven Plateau, few outsiders ever venture down this dusty path. The lush green mountains tower in the distance and time slows to a gentle walk. Here, the remnants of the Vietnam War have been swallowed into everyday life: missile duds act as stilts to hold homes above the incipient floods and shrapnel was melted into kitchen cutlery.

Perhaps it’s this perspective that’s given Mr. Ki, the village chief, one of those contagious smiles that puts you in a state of bliss.

TRACEABLE AND TRANSPARENT COFFEE TRADE

SABAIDEE... HELLO!

The Jhai Coffee Farmer's Cooperative (JCFC) is an organically assembled group of 298 families, in 18 different villages, from 4 different ethnic groups, (Jeru, Lao, Bo, & Khmu), working together to produce some of the finest specialty coffee in all of South East Asia and certainly the most delicious coffee of Laos.

The goal of the JCFC’s traceable and transparent payment system is to allow all members the ability to capture the full value of their exported green beans, which nearly triples farmer income when compared to the prevailing trade options.

In the 2016/17 season, farmer income increased by an average of 270%. For Seven Seas, the traceability and transparency program has allowed a deeper and more meaningful relationship between coffee producers and you guys, the coffee drinkers.